


Sanctuary Drabbles

by Quipxotic



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Episode: s01e07 The Five, Episode: s03e04 Trail of Blood, Episode: s03e08 For King and Country, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Gap Filler, Pre-Episode: s01e01 Sanctuary for All: Part 1, The Five
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-14 23:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quipxotic/pseuds/Quipxotic
Summary: Short stories about Helen Magnus and her friends and family. All drabbles are 100 words by AO3's count and were written out of order and then reorganized mostly chronologically according to Helen's timeline. While most drabbles are gap fillers for existing stories, some are non-canon, standalone, or related stories.





	1. On the Hunt for a Killer

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of the tags are more aspirational than descriptive at this point, since I'm just getting started.

“To what do I owe this honor?”

“We can’t make social calls?”

“You can,” Nikola patted Helen’s hand, “but the look James is giving me is hardly friendly.” 

James paced around the room, observing everything. “How are you adjusting to your new…circumstances?”

“You mean becoming a vampire?” Tesla grinned, showing his fangs. “Perfectly well. And you?”

“No cravings,” James continued, ignoring the question.

“The animal plasma Helen arranged is meeting those.” Realization dawned on his face. “I’ve not been gutting ladies of questionable virtue on the street.” He stood suddenly, his voice indignant. “That’s what you’re suggesting, isn’t it?”


	2. A Suggestion of Guilt

John watched his friend’s agitated movements. “I take it the visit didn’t go well?”

“Nikola denied everything.” Running a hand through his hair, James gave up pacing and flopped into the chair opposite John. “I believe him. He showed no signs of guilt. Plenty of anger, however, so you should probably avoid him for awhile.”

John frowned. “Did you tell him-“

“That you suggested he might be the Ripper?” James waved the idea away. “Of course not, but he knows we’re close. He’ll suspect we’ve talked-”

“And no one likes being accused of being a murderer,” John finished for him.


	3. Pain Unimaginable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Helen Magnus and Dr. James Watson during “For King and Country”

Watson glanced up from his test tubes. “Stop brooding, Helen.”

She blinked. “Sorry?”

“You’ve been staring at that page for fifteen minutes.”

Helen sighed and closed her notebook. “I was thinking about Imogene-“

“You did everything possible to save her life.”

“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier. That poor girl. And poor Adam! To lose a daughter…I can’t begin to imagine how painful that is.” She walked to a nearby cabinet. “Hopefully, I’ll never have to-“

James started to remind her that her immortality might not be inherited by her offspring, but thought better of it.


	4. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Druitt during “For King and Country”

“John Druitt?” 

John turned. Three men blocked the exit to the lodging house he’d been staying in for a week. Each one was solidly built and clearly useful in a brawl, but that didn’t bother him. He had already escaped far worse situations than this. “Who’s asking?”

“His Majesty the King of England has a proposition for you.”

“A thick rope and a sudden stop?” Druitt laughed. “Do you think you have a hope of bringing me in?”

“Yes.” One of the men smiled. “We’ve come to offer you a chance for a full pardon.”

John grinned slyly. “Do tell-“


	5. Irresistible Force and Immovable Object

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Druitt and Dr. James Watson during the flashbacks in “For King and Country”

John moved toward Watson on instinct. Even during their youth they had gravitated toward each other, standing side by side as the very best of friends. But everything had changed - he was the Ripper, one of the few criminals the famous Dr. Watson hadn’t brought to justice. Now, Watson moved away from him whenever he came close. It would’ve been comical, if it weren’t so painful. 

As always, John leaned into the pain and kept moving nearer. At last James caught himself and glared defiantly at him. From then on he refused to move or even acknowledge his oldest friend.


	6. Sanctuary from Harm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Father Jensen, Helen Magnus, and Bigfoot in 1951 (“Trail of Blood”)

“I patched him up,” the young priest led the through the Fifth Ward church, “but he needs better medical care than I can provide.”

“I’m sure you did your best, Father-“

“Jensen,” he added as they entered a small room. “I hope you can do more.” A tall, hairy figure lay huddled on the bed. He jolted backwards as they entered, looking around frantically for any signs of danger. “Calm yourself, my friend. This is the woman I mentioned to you.“

Helen knelt beside the bed and met Bigfoot’s eyes. “No harm will come to you, you have my word.”


	7. An Interruption of Domestic Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley Magnus, Henry Foss, Dr. James Watson, and Helen Magnus a long time before “Sanctuary for All”

“Uncle James!”

Watson hugged Ashley, careful to keep her away from the device that sustained his life. He nodded at the teenager sprawled on a nearby chair. “Hello Henry.”

“Sir,” Henry replied absentmindedly as he tinkered with a device.

“Please, call me James, or Uncle James. We’re all family here.”

Helen noticed the worry underlying Watson’s easy charm. “Children, please give us a moment. We have business to discuss.”

“Come on, Ash.” Henry held out his hand and led her from the room. 

“What is it,” Magnus asked once they were alone.

“There’s been a sighting-“

She shrugged. “Of what?”


	8. Rumors of Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. James Watson and Helen Magnus a long time before “Sanctuary for All”

Helen stared through her office window. “Are you sure it’s John?”

“It’s difficult to be completely certain without photographic evidence.” Watson sat in the chair Henry Foss had just vacated. “But there are…distinct similarities to the old Ripper cases.”

“Could it be a copycat? Jack the Ripper is legendary.”

“It’s possible, but I’d rather err on the side of caution, given your patients living here.” He glanced towards the door. “And the children, of course.”

“John discovering them doesn’t bear thinking about. We need a way to protect the Sanctuary.”

“Ah,” Watson smiled, “I have some ideas about that.”


	9. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla and John Druitt before “The Five”

“Oh Johnny, how the mighty have fallen.” Prowling around the body huddled on the stone floor, Nikola gestured at the abandoned crypt. “You were easy to find, although I’m surprised you returned to England to lick your wounds. Homesick?”

The voice that answered was barely a whisper. “Let me die in peace.”

“I’d love nothing more but, and I can’t believe I’m admitting this, I need you.” Tesla pushed Druitt onto his back. Blue veins stood out under the man’s pale skin and his breath rattled in his chest. Tesla grimaced. “Wow, Helen did a number on you, didn’t she?”


	10. A New Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla and John Druitt before “The Five”

Druitt gritted his teeth as the electricity flowed through him. Against his will, he screamed.

Tesla withdrew his hands from John’s chest and the pain stopped. “This is what I don’t understand: the others hunted you for over a hundred years, you owe them nothing. Whereas I brought you back from the brink of death. What I’m asking for is such a small thing, by comparison.”

“I won’t help you bring forth a new generation of vampires.” John twisted in his restraints. “Whatever I’ve become, I’m not that mad.”

“That’s a shame. I suppose I’ll have to ask _her_ instead-“


	11. Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley Magnus and John Druitt during “The Five”

“Mom’s in Rome,” Ashley admitted, still not sure she was doing the right thing. “Giving some talk at a conference about abnormals.”

“I know the one.” Druitt held out his hand. “We’ll go together. At the very least, we can warn her of Nikola's intentions.”

She stared at him, indecision clear on her face. “Oh, what the hell,” she muttered, gripping Druitt’s arm. Instantly they disappeared in a swirl of orange and pink energy, only to reappear outside a lecture hall. Ashley moved away, surveying the area. “What now?”

“We track the chaos.” John nodded down the hallway. “Follow me.”


	12. The Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry Foss during “The Five”

Henry lay in bed, shivering and miserable. At first he’d thought he’d caught a cold, but currently he had his doubts. “Please, not now,” he gripped his bed sheets, trying to stop the change, “not while Magnus is away. Will…won’t understand.” 

There was noise outside his room - hissing, snarling, and the sound of heavy objects being smashed. The scent of Will’s fear overwhelmed Henry’s senses followed by something else, something that smelled reptilian and dangerous. He didn’t have time to cry out before the transformation took him. With a snarl, he opened his door and ran toward the noise.


	13. Damsel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla before “Trail of Blood”

Nikola awoke suspended from the ceiling of a cave and bound in a fibrous substance. “That could have gone better,” he groaned. “Still, alive is better than eaten. Where has the many-legged menace gotten to?” In the distance, he heard scurrying. “There you are, you ugly little bastards. Don’t you know who I am?”

He tried to break his bindings without result. “You know, there was a time I could’ve ripped my way free in an instant.” Tesla sighed. “Now, I’m reduced to calling for help like some damsel in distress. I just hope Heinrich isn’t asleep on the job.”


	14. Price of Entry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla, Helen Magnus, Henry Foss, and Will Zimmerman during “Trail of Blood”

“Home sweet home!” Nikola stepped into the Sanctuary and clapped his hands eagerly. “Wine cellar, I think, then-“

“Actually, hand over the larva first.” Helen blocked the way while Henry and Will surrounded him. “I know you took one, it’s the only explanation for your exuberance during the journey.”

“Helen,” he gave her his most charming smile, “just think what we could learn-“

“Nikola, the larva. Now.” She grinned evilly. “Or do we need to strip search you?”

“That’s a mental image I could have done without.” Henry shook his head. “Please dude, hand it over for all our sakes.”


	15. Mistakes of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla and Will Zimmerman during “For King and Country”

“In retrospect there were signs, subtle markers-“

Will scoffed. “Signs that Worth was a greater danger than the guy who eventually became Jack the Ripper?”

Tesla shrugged. “Johnny was a different person before the Source Blood. We all were, of course, but Druitt…well, he was completely harmless back then.” Shaking his head, he watched Helen and Worth through the surgery window. “Adam was never harmless, not from the moment we met him. Although I doubt any of us realized how much a threat he’d eventually become.”

“Why not?”

“We were young and, believe it or not, a tad arrogant.”


	16. A Sudden Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Helen during “For King and Country”

“You sure you want to fly to Cambodia?”

Helen stopped packing. “Do I have a choice? If Adam won’t answer our questions, my only option is to find John and ask him.”

Will leaned against her bedroom wall. “It’s just…Worth beat the crap out of you and, honestly, you’re not looking so great.”

“Cheers!”

“I’m just saying, let someone else go. Me or Tesla-“

“Nikola is working with Henry to identify the devices Adam used. Besides, I’m the only person John might not kill on sight.”

“Exactly! _Might_ not-“

Magnus smiled. “Your concern is appreciated, but I’ll be fine.”


	17. A Quiet Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen Magnus and John Druitt during “For King and Country”

Magnus curled against John, carefully moving his arm around her waist. 

It felt strange, yet comforting to be this close to him again. Stroking his other arm, Helen tried to will herself to rest, but she couldn’t stop the memories. The Five hunting down Adam, the nights of worry and realization during the Ripper killings, and the moment three years ago when she’d thought she’d killed him. 

“Oh John, what a terrible mess we all are,” she whispered. “Sometimes I wish…everything could’ve been different.”

He squeezed her hand and slowly Helen was able to drift into a fitful sleep.


	18. A Small Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikola Tesla, Dr. Helen Magnus and Will Zimmerman during “For King and Country”

“How dare you!” 

Nikola paused mid-stride. He knew that indignant tone - Helen had directed it at him frequently over the decades they’d known each other. Approaching the lab cautiously, Tesla turning the corner to see Will trying to comfort Helen as she coughed up blood. 

She shrugged him off and stormed out of the room. Nikola leaned out of her way, keeping his eyes averted. This reaction too was familiar. It was a measure of how terrible their situation was that he found only a little comfort in the knowledge that her ire was, for once, not focused on him. 


End file.
